Stef's Blog - a native London Southlander and unrepentant 'Conspiraloon™' who doesn't trust anyone, not even himself. Sometimes I take pictures. I also enjoy swearing immensely and think much faster than I can type, so each post comes guaranteed to include at last one confusing typo. OK?

Sunday, January 25, 2009

First they came for the smokers...

I went for a long walk around North Central London today - Islington, Hackney, Tower Hamlets

And I saw dozens and dozens of the same poster plastered all over phone boxes and bus stops

I maintained that the relative size of government is an irrelevance and a distraction from more significant concerns

I would, however, argue that when government starts spunking money taken off people under threat of imprisonment (i.e. tax) on expensive cross-media marketing campaigns which tell those same people that they are dirty pigs then, yes, the people employed doing that are probably better employed in a private sector sweatshop - preferably somewhere nasty.

* creating or encouraging divisions among the subjects in order to forestall alliances that could challenge the sovereign. * aiding and promoting those who are willing to cooperate with the sovereign. * fostering distrust and enmity between local rulers. * encouraging frivolous expenditures that leave little money for political and military ends.

Anyway, not a good idea to wear a hoodie if you're a young unemployed obese muslim smoker.

I'd like to raise two points that your post and subsequent comments elicit.

Ever tuned into local commercial radio and heard the adverts? On some radio stations the ratio of gov sponsored (eg, 'Don't Do Drugs'; 'Don't Sleep Around' etc) to private sponsored (eg, usually car dealerships) is something like ten to one.

Once you notice; it screams at you every time you listen.

Isn't this a means of controlling dissent? The first rule of radio is ... don't alienate your sponsors. It looks as though Blighty's commercial radio has the UK gov as its main sponsor.

Second point: I live in a partly rural area. At certain times of the year there is mud on the road. The farmers go ploughing from field to field crossing roads with their tractors and spreading mud.

This is illegal. Google it and see what laws are being broken. Eg public nuisance (a criminal offence) and it should attract an ASBO.

(Imagine if the builders did this whilst going to and from a building site in the centre of town. Those in the building trade willl tell you that there are strict rules against this behaviour).

But will the council ever impose an ASBO?

Will the local tesco put up a massive picture of the farmer as you go into the shop. Placing him in the 21st century stocks for all to ridicule?

Yeah, I raised that issue with Stef about the size of government, but he said it is irrelevant as long as its benevolent, honest and transparent. The problem with that is, when has such an overbloated government ever been any of those? The Roman Republic was corrupted, if you want an ancient example. In fact, much of our legal process was inherited from that, along with the Latin terminology.

If anything, national and local government is increasing in scope BECAUSE it is infiltrated and no longer serving the people's interests. I personally don't want the government involved in so many aspects of life. This includes all forms of it, down to the council and local agency level, and any contractors working for them.

Call it damage control\limitation, if you will...I fully expect another period of tyranny in the future (based on historical trends) even if we manage to free ourselves from the current shackles, so why not minimise the risk next time?

From an Evil Overlord's point of view there's absolutely biff all difference and it's just as easy to buy off and corrupt, either way

going forward, our Masters' plan appears to be to blur the distinction between corporate and private so much that the notion of big or little government will eventually be revealed to be the irrelevancy that I believe it to be

which is why I despair of truthers on the political right who keep banging on that what is currently being done to our world is 'communistic' instead of a less loaded and divisive term like 'totalitarian'.

They've been sold a total pup and take it for a walk whenever they can

going forward, our Masters' plan appears to be to blur the distinction between corporate and private so much that the notion of big or little government will eventually be revealed to be the irrelevancy that I believe it to be

That certainly is the case. However, I was referring more to the law-making and law enforcement powers of the government and civil service. We don't yet have private mercs patrolling the streets do we?

Poorly regulated\dodgy backgrounds? Thats interesting Stef, where did you discover this? because I get checked so thoroughly for even mediocre, everyday roles that I'm often bringing as much paperwork as a benefit claim.

Nevermind security where I need an SIA level 4 and other such things (5-10 years checkable references)...

As for hiring private enforcement officers - I've encountered similar things with "New Deal" before. As you say, the line between public and private is being blurred. Instead of directly employing workers, there is contracting out of services which has been rapidly increasing with the current government.

Purnell (a pervert, if the story about child porn on his office PC in the Cambridge papers is correct) did it with the DWP\Jobcentre Plus claiming it would reduce costs. What actually happened was frontline staff were cut, more money was given to private corporations, and further contracting out of security staff.

but as a general rule I'd advise to sticking to being honest. There are many bullshit laws and restrictions out there but if I have compromise my own sense of right and wrong by telling lies to get around them, well, it's usually not worth it

Maybe so, but one's survival in this land depends on making a living. Since I'm not in a position to be running my own business, I have to work for someone else.

When I did a stint in a Royal Mail warehouse, they did the security checks themselves. Granted, as far as your health goes they relied on people being honest on the form. However, it would be apparent very quickly to the supervisors on the warehouse floor just who exactly wasn't capable of doing 12 hour nightshifts.

Your discussing what I think of a the siphon economy.Why bother producing goods and services for a troublesome public when you can plug straight into the public finances for a guaranteed revenue stream?The model is quite simple, get the government, in the name of 'reform' to wreck a department/organisation through constant reorganisations, which serves to piss off anyone who tries to do a good job and destroys any institutional memory as to what that departments true purpose is.Declare the thing dysfunctional and invite in private sector 'expertise'.Thus furthering the enclosure of public capital.

@paul: Thats precisely whats happened to the welfare system, particularly the jobseeking element in the last decade. It used to be DSS, then those offices were closed, functions were merged into Jobcentres to create JCP. The area was put under control of DWP.

You can watch it unfold at the erstwhile royal mail. Ludicrous pricing, dismantling of the network, taylorised work practices.Piss off the workers, pay off the insiders.

I divine this process in the national health service. It is now impossible in england for a newly trained GP to join a partnership. The existing partners just employ them on a salary.The practice then becomes an asset of the existing partners which can earn them economic or be sold off to privateers such as richard branson as is envisaged in Dazai's polyclinic plans.

We also have the Railway Enforcement Officers who look like coppers, but lack the old masonic check. I'm not sure if they're employed by the railway companies or on a level with PCSOs. Were there not also plans to grant certain police powers to private security guards?

I've also just seen a couple of redshirt 'Community Wardens' walking around Russell Square. Fascist regimes just love all their different spiffy uniforms don't they?

In future, you can be pretty sure that whoever holds your personal medical data, public or private, that insurance companies will routinely be able to sneak a peek.

DNA databases will enable private institutions to cherry pick and exclude based on conditions you might develop as well already have

If meddling and intrusion is seen as a way of boosting profits companies will engage in such practices more enthusiastically than any public sector bureaucracy

I haven't said anywhere that corporations are all great. As for medical data, well good thing I take care of myself as I haven't needed a doctor in years.

DNA databases..well lets see, who collected the DNA to begin with - the police force. I don't particularly trust hospitals either, in fact that is why my children were born at home with a midwife in attendance.

Simply put, at least with private firms (when not joined at the hip with government) I can decide who I do business with. On the other hand tax is forcibly taken on threat of court and jail.

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